The Cold War Flashcards
What is communism
a system based on the theories of Marx and Engels which emphasises common ownership of the means of production and distribution. Each member of the country should work for the common benefit according to their own capacity and would receive according to their own specific needs. Private ownership would thus be abolished
What is capitalism
An economic system in which trade and industry are owned and controlled by private individuals or groups, operating best within a democratic political system
Who first used the term ‘cold war’
Bernard Baruch
What are some of the speculated origins of the Cold War
East-west suspicion had existed since the Communist Revolution in Russia
Communist expansion had seemed to make little headway and thus the grand alliance was able to be formed to stop hitler invading the USSR
USSR was left to defeat Germany without help from other allies
Originated from the disintegration of the grand alliance when wwii drew to an end
What were the three conferences and why were they held
Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam. They were held to discuss how Germany was going to be death with
Where was the Tehran conference held
In the soviet embassy in Iran
What was another name for the Yalta conference
The Crimea conference
Where was the Potsdam conference held and what was it
In Germany. It was a continuation of the Yalta conference
Why did the USA and the ussr set aside their differences
Because Nazis invaded the Soviet Union
Who formed the grand alliance
The USA, Britain and the USSR
Why was the grand alliance formed
It was a marriage of convenience formed because of their mutual desire to defeat nazi Germany (their common enemy)
What did the USA do in the grand alliance
Through the Lend-Lease system, they provided Britain and the USSR with weapons and supplies
When did tension start rising
Before the end of the war
What was the difference between what was happening in public and behind the scenes between the allies
Tributes were made to the war efforts of their allies. Behind the facade there was constant fighting between the USSR and her two western allies
Why did tensions develop
USSR was left to fight nazi Germany alone. The USA delayed the opening of a second front.
USA ended the Lend-Lease programme
USA kept its atomic bomb a secret from the USSR until after the defeat of nazi Germany
What happened at the Tehran conference
Big three decided there was going to be no Anglo-American invasion of Germany through the Balkans
What happened as a result of there being no Anglo-American invasion of Germany
It left the soviet troops and those living in the Balkans to clear Eastern Europe of nazi forces.
What happened by recognising soviet supremacy in Eastern Europe
It limited the west’s participation in the post-war political affairs in this area. It encouraged Stalin to believe that he had a fee hand in Eastern Europe as a result of his negotiations with Churchill
What else did the negotiation between Churchill and Stalin convince Stalin of
That the west would accept soviet control in these areas
What was the purpose of the post-war situation
To cause mistrust and tension between the West and the Soviet Union
Who were the leaders of Britain, the USA and the USSR at the Yalta conference
Britain- Churchill
USA- Roosevelt
USSR- Stalin
Why did the three leaders meat at Yalta
To plan post-war settlement
What happened as a result of the tension behind the official cordiality
The agreements reached ended up being only temporary compromises that did not settle the bigger issues.
What decisions were made at the Yalta conference
Germany and Berlin were to be divided into 4 zones of occupation
Stalin promised free democratic elections in the satellite states
USSR agreed to join the United Nations
USSR agreed to join war against japan
Big three agreed that Eastern Europe was to be a soviet sphere of influence (buffer zone)
What did the big three disagree on at the Yalta conference
Scale of the german payments and reparations.
Stalin wanted the. Border of the Soviet Union to move into Poland and Poland’s border to move into Germany
Who was to administer the 4 zones in Germany and Berlin
USA
USSR
Britain
France
Where was Berlin situated
In the middle of the soviet zone
As a result of the war, what place did the USSR ocupy
Poland
what was the ’Allied Declaration on Liberated Europe’
It formally committed the USSR to pursue a policy of democracy in the satellite states.
What was the aim of the United Nations
To keep peace after the war
Why was the soviet determined to make a large buffer zone against any future german aggression
Because the USSR had suffered terrible losses
Why were no agreements made on the reparations of Germany
Stalin wanted a fixed sum which the western allies thought was too high
What changed at the Potsdam conference
Stalin was even more uncompromising. Britain and the USA had new leaders
Who were the new leaders of Britain and the USA during the Potsdam conference
Britain- Atlee
USA- Truman
What main decisions were made at the Potsdam conference
Details of the 4 zones were finalised
Each power was to collect reparations: soviet received additional reparations
Polands western border was to be along a line created by two rivers
Germans living in Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary had to return to Germany
Why did the USSR receive additional reparations
Because its german zone was mainly rural
Which two rivers was the polish border moved to
The Oder and Neisse
What did the powers not agree on during the Potsdam conference
Stalin wanted to cripple Germany, Truman didn’t agree
Couldn’t agree on the issue of reparations
Although it was already agreed upon; Truman was opposed to pro-soviet governments being set up in eastern-Europe
Why did Truman not want to cripple Germany
He did not want a repetition of the treaty of Versailles
Why could the powers not agree on reparations
Because Stalin felt that he should be compensated for the deaths of 20 million Russian. Truman did not want to make the same mistakes that were made at the end of WWI
What do many historians believe to be two of the causes of the Cold War
Stalin’s refusal to give up wartime gains in eastern-Europe and refusal to consider german re-unification
What other place was divided into 4 zones
Austria
What were some of the satellite states
Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Poland
Which state was communist but refused to be ruled by Stalin
Yugoslavia ruled by Tito
What were some of the Baltic states
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
What was one of the terms of the non-aggression pact
The Soviet Union was allowed to occupy a large part of eastern Poland
What was different about the way Europe and the Soviet Union approached the end of the war
Europe tried to rehabilitate the devastated countries while the USSR made significant territorial advances into eastern-Europe
What happened to the Red army and the satellite states after the war was over
The red army stayed in Europe and communists governments were set up in the satellite states
Despite victory over Germany and emergence of Stalin as world statesman, why did the USSR feel vulnerable to the west
Because he believed the west could still be a threat to the USSR and the USA had an atomic bomb
What did Stalin do to protect the USSR from the west
He protected it behind a defensive barrier provided by wartime acquisitions of various Eastern European states
Why was stalin so adamant that he would collect reparations from Germany
Because, despite advances made by Stalin, the war had exhausted their economy
What did Germany become for the USSR
A new front line and defence system
Why was Stalin so unco-operative at Yalta and Potsdam
Because he considered every suggestion for settlement as a wedge being driven into soviet security
Why was there tension between the west and the Soviet Union
Western allies interpreted the soviets defence moves as the desire to expand. They thought this because of the way communists took control in Eastern Europe
How did the western allies see communist talking over the eastern states
Initially coalition government (including non-communists) were established in Eastern Europe. Non-communists then began being persecuted and communists took control. They began to assert Russian dominance which was followed by the elimination of non-communists.
Why was Stalin interested in Eastern Europe
He wanted it to act as a buffer zone between Germany an the Soviet Union so as to prevent another invasion
He saw it as vital to the development of the soviet economy
Some saw it as part of a pattern of conquest
Others think Stalin would have allowed collation governments to stay had it not been for the hostility of the west.
Why did stalin see having Eastern Europe vital to the soviet economy
They would be a source of cheep goods and raw materials. They would also be force to trade with the Soviet Union
How did the west see stalin
As a dictator who had eliminated its opponents.
What prompted winston Churchill to make his speech
The type of power and control in Eastern Europe
Where had the iron curtain decided
From Stettin in the Baltic to truest in the Adriatic
What did churchill mean when he said “iron curtain”
That Europe was divided into two by soviet policy. The west was democratic and the east, behind the curtain, was communist ruled by the USSR
What did Churchill calls he western allies to do
To combat communist expansion
What did stalin accuse churchill of when he heard the speech
Of trying to stir up war against the Soviet Union
What did effect did Churchill’s speech have on the relationship between the west and the USSR
It widened the gap between them, but did little to combat the communist expansion
What caused the USA to take actin against communist and why
Events in Greece, turkey and Iran because they feared that Eastern Mediterranean would also fall to communism.
What was USA policy with regards to communism
A policy of containment
What happened when the Nazis left Greece just before the end of wwii
The communists and monarchists vied for power
What happened as a result of communists and monarchists vying for power
It plunged Greece into a state of civil war
Why were the british, who had liberated Greece from the Nazis, not able to contain the Greek communists
Because Greece had the support of neighbouring communist states: Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Albania
Why did Greece appeal to the US for their assistance
Because they could not afford a long civil war.
Why did Truman step in to try and stop the spread of communism in Greece
He believed that if one country fell to communism, there would be a domino effect and surrounding countries would also start becoming communist.
How did Truman plan to stop the spread of communism in Greece
He said that any free person resisting subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures would be supported.
Hw did America support the “free people” in Greece
By providing them with mass arms supplies and other necessities
What happened as a result of Truman’s plan in Greece
The communists were defeated
What was the situation with communism in turkey
A similar situation as Greece. Stalin demanded the return of certain provinces which the Turks had gained from the Russians at the end of WWI
Who did the trucks appeal to for help
The USA
What did the US make very clear to the Turks
That they would not tolerate soviet aggression
How much had been given to turkey ad Greece to fend off communist revolutions
More that $400 million
What was the situation in Iran
During the war Britain and the USSR had troops in Iran, but 6 months after the war ended, Britain withdrew its troops, but the USSR did not
When did soviet troops withdraw from Iran
After protests from the Iranian government
What happened even after soviet troops withdrew from Iran
Some soviet troops remained
What did the remaining soviet troops in Iran do
They helped pro-communist guerrillas fight for independence
